Chopper.



l. PEOPLES, SR. & W. T. CLARK.

CHOPPER. APPLICATION FILED APR. I6. 191

1 ,1 60,955. Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH PEOPLES, SR, AND "WILLIAM,T. CLARK,0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE ENTERPRISE MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY OF PENNSYLVANIA, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

CHOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 16, 1914. Serial No. 832,256.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Josnrn PEOPLES, Sn, and WILLIAM T. CLARK, citizensof the United States, residing in Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia,State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Choppers,of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in chopping machines ofthe type in which the material is forced against a perforated plate andthe portions projecting into the perforations of the plate are severedby a rotating knife.

One object of our invention is to dispense with the screw threads whichare usually employed to attach the holding ring to the casing, as it isfound that the meat will work itselfinto these threads and that thesethreads are very difficult to clean, so that foul'matter is -liable tobe retained at the base of the threads without a special implement isused when cleaning.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and effectivedevice for keeping the plate in proper contact against the knife as theparts wear from use.

A still further objectof the invention is to provide a hood fordeflecting the material as it is forced through the perforated plate.

Another object of the invention is to make the device detachable so thatit can be thoroughly cleansed and quickly replaced.

These objects and other advantageous ends, we attain in the followingmanner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l is a side view of our improved chopping machine, the supportand handle being broken away; Fig. 2, is a plan View,

Fig. 3 is an end view; Fig. l is a sectional view on the line aa, Fig.2; Fig. 5, is a perspective view of the hood; and Figs. 6, T and 8, areviews illustrating modifications of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is the casing of the chopper having asupport 2 which may be arranged so as to be clamped or screwed to atable.

3 is the hopper through which the material is fed to the casing.

4 is a feed screw of the ordinary type having a stem 5projecting throughthe rear of the casing, and on the stem is secured a handle 6. Theforward end of the screw has a stem 7 having a squared portion 8 onwhich is mounted the blade 9 provided with one ,or more knives or bladeswhich bear agamst a perforated plate 10 having a hub 11 through whichextends the stem 7 of the screw and acts as the forward bearing for saidscrew. The casing has'a series of Iongitudlnal ribs 12, of any formdesired, which act 1n con unction with the screw to feed the materialforward and against the perforated plate 10. This is the ordinary formof chopping machine. Usually, the plate is held to the casing by meansof a screw cap which hasa flange fitting over the plate and also has athreaded portion adapted to an external thread on the casing. Thepresent invention relates to detachable means for holding the plate tothe casing, which can be quickly located in place and as quickly removedfor cleaning, and which can be taken up as the parts wear and which willdirect the material projected from the machine downward into a suitablereceptacle. The screw threads located at the plate are objectionable asthe material, being forced through the machine, will work its way intothe threads of the screw and, without the greatest care is exercised,the material will remain in the threads and'decompose. By having a plaincap or ring fitting over the end of the casing, this objection isovercome.

13 is a ring or cap having a flange 11 in line with the outer edge ofthe perforated plate 10, and on this flange are three lugs 15 which beardirectly upon the outer surface of the plate beyond the perforations soas to hold the plate in contact with the cutting blade 9. On the ring 13is a hood 16 which projects sufiiciently in advance of the cutting plateto direct the material downward as it is projected through the plate. Onthe outer end of this hood is a bearing 17 for a screw 18 which ismounted in a yoke 19 pivoted to the bearings at 20 on the casing 1. Inthe present instance, the yoke has an enlarged portion 21, forming thesupport for the screw '18, and arms 22 hav-- ing ends 23 which projectinto the recesses in the casing forming the bearings 20 so that, whenthe screw 18 is backed ofl", the

1 the bearing 17" is slightly 1am beremovedpafter which the plate andthe knife can be detached and, if necessary; the. feed screw canalso'fbe removed fromthe casing. In orderto prevent the yoke fromdropping past the horizontal position; we provide the bearing 17 with alip '24: which acts as a stop for the y0ke,,so that, when the yoke isturned down onto the lip, the screw can be turnedso as to engage thebearing 17 and force the ring 13 into operative position.

In Figs. 1 and 2, we have shown the yoke connected to the casing byspreading the arms of the yoke, but in Fig. 5, we have illustrated aslotted bearing 20*- for the reception of the ends of the yoke 19 sothat when the yoke is released it can be entirely detached from thecasing. ,7

In Fig. 7, we have shown a construction in which the yoke 19 can besnapped into position; one recess being of'a greater depth than theother. By this construction the yokecan be removed from the casing whendesired.

In Fig. 5, we have shown the hood 16 in the form of an open frame which*arries the bearing 17 for the confining screw. This hood may extend anydistance from the perforated plate, according to the type of chopper towhich the invention is applied.

In Fig. 8, we have illustrated a modification. in which the screw isdispensed with,

beveled and the yoke l9 has a beveled portion resting against thebearing. In this figure the pin 25, for holding the perforated plate 10from turning, is carried by the hood 16*.

While we have illustrated our invention as applied to a chopper rotatedby a handle, it

can be used in connection with a" power chopper as well.

By providing the lugs 15 on the ring 13 the lost motion of the parts.due to 'wear. can be taken up to a greater extent than where theordinary screw ring is used without lugs. as the perfoated plate can beforced into the casing beyond the outer end thereof.

By using the above described clamping device, the large screw thread isentirely dispensed with and the parts can be properly cleaned and thereareno fine grooves near the perforated plate in which fecal matter willbe retained. Furthermore all parts of the chopper can be tinned so as to.prevent rustin Thus it will be seen that we provide a construction inwhich the parts can be quickly removed for cleaning or other purpose'and the material. as it passes through the perforations of theplate, is directed I projecting onto a receptacle below the end of thechopper. I

YVe claim- 1 The combii'iation in a chopper, of a casing; a perforatedplate loosely mounted at the end of the casin a knife within the casingand bearing against the plate;n1eans for feeding materialto the plate; aflanged ring fitting on the casing and bearing upon the perforatedplate; and a yoke extending across the end of the casing and pivotedthereto and arranged to engage the ring so as to retain the plate inposition.

2. The combination in a chopper, of a casing; a perforated plate mountedin the end a of the casing; a knife within the casing and arranged tobear against the plate; a feed .screw carrying the knife and arranged toing; a knife carried by the feed screw and bearing against theperforated plate; a ring mounted at the end of the casing and hearingagainst the perforated plate; a hood from the ring for directingmaterial downward as it passes through the plate: a yoke pivoted to thecasing and extending over the hood. said hood having a bearin and ascrew on the yoke in line with the hearing so as to fasten the. ring andplate in position.

l. The combination in a casing. of a perforated plate mounted at the endof the casing: a screw within the casing: a knife airried by the screw:a ring having a figuigc bearing against the outer surface of theperforated plate. said ring having a hood carrying a bearing at itsouter end: a lip under the bearing: and a yoke pivotally mounted on thecasing extending over the ring and its hood and resting on the lip andhaving a screw bearing against the end of the hood so as to secure thering and the perforated plate to the casing.

In testimony whereof. we have signed our names to this specification. inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH PEOPLES. Sn. WILLIAM T. CLARK.

Witnesses: I

WM. E. Sucre, WM. A. BARR.

